Kejriwal govt lifts ban on construction; to decide on schools reopening

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "585 monitoring teams have been constituted in Delhi. If negligence is found action will be taken immediately, work will be stopped along with penalty."

New Delhi: The ban imposed on construction and industrial activities due to increasing pollution in Delhi has been lifted on Monday. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "Many teams of the government are keeping an eye on those who do not follow pollution-related rules and action will be taken against them. The next meeting regarding pollution will be held on November 24,"

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "There is a significant drop in pollution in different areas of Delhi on Monday as compared to Sunday. There is a steady decline in the level of pollution due to the steps taken in Delhi. The air quality index remained below 300 at 10 am in many areas in Delhi. The construction and demolition ban is lifted but the government will continue monitoring. People should follow the 14-point guideline carefully,"

Gopal Rai said, "585 monitoring teams have been constituted in Delhi. If negligence is found action will be taken immediately, work will be stopped along with penalty."

He added, "Work from home of employees will continue till 26 November. The entry of trucks will be closed till 26 November. The idea of ​​giving exemption to CNG trucks is in talks. School, colleges, institutes will remain closed for the time being. Further decisions in this regard will be taken after the meeting on November 24. The capacity of public transport has increased. 1,000 Paryavaran Bus Service buses have started plying on the roads."

The air quality in the national capital continues to be in the 'very poor' category for the ninth consecutive day on Monday, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting & Research (SAFAR).

The overall Air Quality Index deteriorated from 347 on Sunday to 352 on Monday, with concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 standing at 188 in the 'very poor' and 301 in the 'poor' category respectively.

The Delhi government on November 15 informed the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps such as a 'complete lockdown' to control the local emissions in the National Capital Region (NCR). However, such a step would be meaningful if it is implemented across the NCR areas in neighboring states. Given Delhi's compact size, a lockdown would have a limited impact on the air quality regime.